unit 6 HIST 1051 – WWII, Early Cold War, and Postwar America

29 vocabulary flashcards covering the main concepts, events, and policies from WWII through postwar America as outlined in the lecture notes.

Fascism

Authoritarian, nationalist political ideology that rose in Germany, Italy, and Japan before WWII.

Lend-Lease Act

U.S. program providing weapons and supplies to Allies while officially neutral before entering WWII.

Pearl Harbor

Japanese attack on December 7, 1941 that prompted official U.S. entry into WWII.

War Production Board

U.S. agency that coordinated total industrial mobilization for WWII.

D-Day

June 6, 1944 Allied invasion of Normandy, turning point on the Western Front.

Battle of the Bulge

1944–45 German counteroffensive in Belgium; last major Nazi assault in WWII.

Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

August 1945 U.S. nuclear attacks that led to Japan’s surrender and ended WWII.

Executive Order 9066

1942 directive that authorized Japanese-American internment during WWII.

Double V campaign

African American WWII movement for victory against fascism abroad and racism at home.

Iron Curtain

Metaphor used by Churchill to describe division between Soviet-controlled and Western Europe after WWII.

Containment

U.S. strategy to stop spread of communism, guiding Cold War foreign policy.

George Kennan’s “Long Telegram”

1946 diplomatic cable urging containment of Soviet expansion.

Truman Doctrine

1947 pledge to aid nations like Greece and Turkey resisting communism.

Marshall Plan

Massive U.S. economic aid program (1948) to rebuild war-torn Europe and prevent communist influence.

Berlin Airlift

1948-49 Allied operation supplying West Berlin during Soviet blockade.

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

1949 military alliance of U.S., Canada, and Western European nations for collective defense.

Korean War

1950-53 conflict ending in stalemate at the 38th parallel; first major armed clash of the Cold War.

Red Scare

Period of intense fear of communist infiltration in U.S. after WWII.

McCarthyism

Tactic of making unsubstantiated accusations of communism, led by Senator Joseph McCarthy.

House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC)

Congressional body investigating suspected communists, especially in Hollywood.

Loyalty oaths

Pledges required of government employees and others to affirm non-communist allegiance during Cold War.

GI Bill

1944 law providing veterans with education funding, loans, and unemployment benefits, fueling postwar prosperity.

Levittown

Prototype mass-produced suburb symbolizing postwar housing boom and suburbanization.

Baby boom

Sharp rise in U.S. birthrate from mid-1940s to early 1960s following WWII.

Brown v. Board of Education

1954 Supreme Court case declaring segregated public schools unconstitutional.

Montgomery Bus Boycott

1955-56 protest sparked by Rosa Parks, leading to desegregation of buses and boosting civil rights movement.

Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)

Civil rights organization founded in 1957, led by Martin Luther King Jr., advocating nonviolent protest.

Suburban conformity

Postwar cultural emphasis on homogenous middle-class lifestyles in new suburbs.

Beat Generation

1950s literary and cultural movement rejecting mainstream values and suburban norms.